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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · rush · saw · cabinet · can · hand · wound · lean

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — thin
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com